Layan never thought he would have to use all his strength to fall behind someone. As soon as he had felt the night air on his face he had transformed tearing all his clothes in his wake. The body of a wolf took his place and tensed all his muscles.
But damn. He was supposed to be chasing a puppy, how fast could he run? No matter how much he moved his paws he couldn’t close the distance no matter how hard he made the effort. The animal blended in with the darkness of the night and the thick foliage of the forest. His fur as dark and shiny as his father’s, a black wolf, as rare as albino wolves, so beautiful it was unbelievable to believe they existed, destined for greatness, for leadership. He gritted his teeth and cursed.
He ran, ran so hard that for the first time in his life he thought his lungs would collapse, he was panting with every step and yet, the pup in front of him, he didn’t slow down but that wasn’t what worried him. The breeze was blowing stronger, the scent of the forest faded around them, they were reaching the cliffs of one of the pack boundaries.
His heart pounded in his chest. He didn’t know if she had any knowledge about the area her father’s entire pack occupied but if she was heading there it meant she did. All the alarm bells went off inside him. Perhaps Priscilla was trying to kill herself. It was known that if she fell down there, with that height and no matter how strong she was, her chances of survival were nil.
He could not allow it, he had to do something. He was not only the alpha of his pack, he was the leader of the Council and all lives were under his responsibility. Besides, he had promised Hades that he would bring his daughter back, he couldn’t just go back empty-handed. Priscilla was just a scared puppy, scared of herself and her growing power that neither she nor anyone else understood.
She used all the strength her alpha blood gave her, the muscles in her paws scored painfully and she ran, until the air around her was a sharp hiss. The white of the forest opened up before him. There, less than a kilometer away was the end of the land giving way to … nothingness.
Layan watched it run without stopping, even though what lay beyond was death. The alpha planted his hind legs hard and jumped. He landed with a sharp sound kicking up the earth beneath his paws, his whole body shuddered and he turned snarling loudly at the pup running towards him.
The small wolf dark as a cloak of night came to a screeching halt with trembling paws and despite his unfocused sight lowered the top of his neck and showed all his teeth. Hot, flaming flashes danced around the alpha only burning to blackness the few weeds that had managed to survive.
That was the last straw. Layan in response bared his teeth and growled so loudly that the cub backed away, still threatening but hiding her tail between her paws. She looked so small now that a twinge of remorse crossed Layan’s chest but he had to remember that he wasn’t facing just any wolf.
He advanced, slow, leisurely, all bristling fur appearing larger, his ears erect, his fangs out, his eyes gleaming, he would demand her submission and thus calm her down, he just had to get closer, a little closer. But before he could do anything already Priscilla was turning to resume the chase again. He would not leave her.
He jumped again and fell on top of her sending both bodies rolling over the blanket of green foliage. Priscilla struggled, jerked to get him off her, growled, howled loudly, her paws moving, clawing at whatever skin she could find in her path.
Layan didn’t want to be rough but the pup’s strength was great, even for her age. He gasped as her teeth dug into his neck. Pain shot through every part of his body along with a strange and powerful sensation that made him shiver, but he didn’t back down. He jerked and with a strong pull managed to break free from the painful grip causing his skin to tear. It quickly began to regenerate after his skill.
The small she-wolf took advantage and slipped out from under him. She couldn’t get very far, the alpha had no intention of letting her go and there was only one method of calming her down as she had little intention of drowning in the submission he as alpha demanded of her. He opened his mouth and his fangs buried themselves deep into the back of her uncovered nape.
A pained howl shattered the fragile stillness of the night. The earth beneath her paws was scratched until the skin broke staining it with blood, the body jerked with sheer violence to try to free itself, saliva gushed from her mouth and dripped over the edge bubbling, still those teeth would not budge, they bit her, they clamped her so tightly that no matter how hard she made efforts to free herself it was impossible to do so.
Her body felt weaker and weaker, the voices in her head that once tormented her faded every time the wolf’s body above her touched her, giving full respite to her exhausted brain and senses. Everything around her became clearer, she could see more easily, colors were brighter, the heat that consumed her and burned every internal organ was fading away being replaced by a cool flame that ran through her.
Layan did not let go of the pup’s neck. He knew he had made a mistake, he had done the one thing he had forbidden himself to do. The situation had gotten out of his paws and now that everything was clear he could analyze the facts with a fresher mind. He lowered his head slightly loosening his grip letting the she-wolf lie completely flat on the ground. The sweet yet metallic taste of blood was all over his palate, it wasn’t unpleasant, it was delicious but this was no time to dwell on it.
The now soft whimpers of the puppy reached her ears. The silvery eyes were slightly closed but she was conscious. Small quick puffs of air came out of her open mouth that made her chest heave in agitation. Layan didn’t know if he should let go yet. The she-wolf had calmed down but he didn’t know for how long.
-Priscilla,- he called to her in his mind.
She only received a pitiful whimper, almost like a sob that was followed by a few more. Layan hesitated, she was no longer struggling at all, she was completely helpless between her paws, with her teeth in the back of her neck, crying to the point of guilt. She felt the shuddering of the little body and through the wound forced it to change.
Priscilla closed her eyes and began to transform without her wanting it, there was a greater force that moved her muscles and did it for her. She couldn’t move or do it alone, she was suddenly very tired, very exhausted and the blood only concentrated in one point, that of her neck, where the teeth penetrated her skin and it wasn’t painful anymore, it was a different sensation, more raw and wild that made her let out a different moan when her teenage body was naked, face down with that huge animal still biting her.
Layan waited at least two more minutes to release the tender skin stained with blood and with deep wounds caused by its fangs. He looked at them and cursed. He should have looked for another way. He felt the connection already being created between them even if it wasn’t complete. The back of the neck was always to be avoided, bites there had two implications, kill or the link. In this case he did not intend the former.
So now he had created a temporary bond with the pup he had avoided so much for these 14 years. A bond that wolves made to their mates if they could not complete the whole ritual, a commitment that would later have the definitive union. Breaking it would only have dire consequences for both parties so it was not done lightly and he had not assumed the consequences in doing so. Perhaps fate was playing a very dirty trick on him. In the end falling into her clutches.
He licked his bleeding mouth and reviewed the young woman’s body beneath him. She was small, slender, with smooth white skin, with curves that had not yet thought to appear, and yet, stark naked, in the moonlight rising above her head, there was no doubt that she was a beautiful being. Maybe it was the lasso, maybe it was the damned fate, but she couldn’t hide the obvious.
He knew Hades would collapse when he found out about this, he had marked his daughter and that would doom her to be with him as long as he didn’t break the bond no matter how much it hurt. He had forced it so he could control her and keep her calm but once the she-wolf could walk on her own two feet, he would have to break it. He would never lay a finger on Priscilla, not her, not because of what she was, but because of who she was, but still he couldn’t look away from her body, as if she was calling him.
He lowered his head and licked the wound up and down with his wet, rough tongue, receiving a low moan from the totally still, bare-necked teenager, her now matted dark hair a cascading waterfall at her side. He ran his tongue several times over the soft skin seeking to heal her wounds and lessen the pain.
He gradually transformed until he was on his arms and legs around the she-wolf. He looked so big on her. He would not touch her unless it was his tongue healing her, feeling an abnormal emptiness. He didn’t stop and kept licking, cleaning the blood that trickled down her neck.
A small sob escaped Priscilla’s lips, silent tears flowed from her closed eyes. She was so still it seemed like apneas was breathing now.
-Shh- Layan made the sound against her temple and kissed her- Relax, it’s all over now- his hand reached down her back smoothing the knots all along, the feel of the creamy skin against his fingers was all a novelty, it was too soft and different.
Once he finished he cleaned her entire nape the wounds had healed but the mark was there, it hadn’t faded though it was lighter than if it were a full bond. His arm went around the slender waist of the young woman and pulled her to him once he let her tired body fall to the side, he needed a few seconds of rest before going back and thinking how he would act now.
The small body molded to his easily and it was really comfortable, her fragrance emanated delicate again and caressed his nose fading the one of blood. Layan couldn’t help himself and his lips kissed the mark.
He knew he shouldn’t have done it, that it was wrong, that it was against everything that had been said all these years about the she-wolf, but despite all that why did she seem so delicious to him?